A Guinea Pig Nativity

Delightfully enacted by a dozen costumed and cuddly guinea pigs—playing Mary, the angel Gabriel, Joseph, the Wise Men, the shepherds, King Herod, and the other attendant figures—the nativity story is given an unusual and appealing twist in this petite Christmas book for all ages. There is a nostalgic charm to these images, recalling innocently playful, pet-inspired photoplays from the 1940s and 50s, while retro-styled Christmas stars and boughs decorate the pages. And the carefully crafted scenes are also entertaining in their own right; the Wise Men, for example, played by Evie, Ellie, and Millie, are just too cute in their fancy hats, and big gray Hollie almost steals the show as the unrepentantly wicked Herod. The book closes with assurances that the guinea pigs were treated well, and encourages would-be owners to seek out guinea pig shelters for pets.